Device or implement for facilitating the counting of money or the like.



No. 68!,054. Patented Aug. 20, I901.

B. W. HAWLEY.

DEVICE 0R IMPLEMENT FOR FACILITATING THE COUNTING OF MONEY OR THE LIKE.

(Application fil d July 12, 1901.)

(Ila Model.)

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RINALDO W I-IAWLEY, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO IN. WOODS WHITE, OF SAME PLACE, AND RICHARD SYLVESTER, OF

WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

DEVICE OR IMPLEMENT FOR FACILITATING THE COUNTING OF MONEY OR THE LIKE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Fateut No. 681,054, dated August 20, 1901.

Application filed July 12, 1901.

To wZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RINALDO W. HAWLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Devices or Implements to Facilitate Counting Money or the Like, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved device to or implement to facilitate counting money and the like.

Experience has shown that in counting 1 money, particularly in large quantities, as is the daily or periodical custom of bank officials and others, the practice of wetting or moistening the finger used in lifting or selecting the several notes is resorted to in order to produce a frictional or adhesive action between the finger and the note, because when 20 dry the finger is apt to slip on the face of the note and not with accuracy at each intended stroke to select the note intended. The practice of wetting the finger is open to several objections. First, the wetting of the finger, which will afiord the required frictional or adhesive action in the course of counting a large bulk of money, as is often the case with bank officials, results in abrasionor irritation of the ball of the finger. Secondly, the moisture of the dampened finger renders the selection of one note at a time less sensitive and certain, and there is a liability of more than one note responding to the familiar action of the finger in counting money. Thirdly, in many instances for expedition the finger is *wetted or moistened by, application thereof to the tongue, and this presents the danger of receiving into the system disease-germs,which experience teaches are often resident in pa- 0 per money which has been in circulation.

My invention has for its object to provide a device or implement adapted to fit upon the finger to facilitate -counting money and the like with accuracy and certainty and avoid 5 the objections hereinbefore stated.

To this end my invention consists in an implement of the character hereinafter described and claimed, reference being made I to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a view illustrating the imple- Serial 1T0. 68,069. (No model.)

ment applied to the finger of the user. Fig. 2 is a perspective view thereof; Fig. 3 a front elevation, Fig. 4 a rear elevation, and Fig. 5 a detail, of the thimble; Fig. 6, a detail of the frictional selecting and cushioning element. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section.

In the said drawings the reference-numeral 1 indicates the thimble element of the device, which preferably is semicylindrical in crosssection and tapering or Widening from its tip to its mouth portion to conform approximately to the shape of the tip of the human finger and which I will term a semithimble. It is so made preferably semi-cylindrical rather than cylindrical in the ordinary form of a thimble to afford ventilation to the finger and avoid the accumulation of perspiration and generation of undue heat and, furthermore, to avoid compression of the tip of the finger and restriction of circulation of blood therein. When formed in this preferred manner, the semithimble is provided with a pair of yielding or resilient fingers 2, secured thereto and adapted to encircle and gently engage about the finger of the user, yet with sufficient firmness to retain the device comfortably and securely upon the finger. The thimble 1 is provided in its convex face adjacent the tip thereof with an orifice 3, opening laterally of the thimble and preferably, though not necessarily, oval in outline, and seated in this orifice is the neck of the selecting and cushioning element 4 of the device. This element consists of a body 5, which is disposed within the thimble, and a head 6, which projects through the orifice 3, as shown, and is confined or held in said orifice by the neck 7 thereof, which engages the wall of the orifice frictionally and with the requisite firmness. In practice the head of the selecting and cushioning element is projected through the orifice, which is of slightly lesser dimensions than the cross-sectional dimensions of said/head and neck, by the application of slight effort and by reason of the resilient nature of the material of which it is composed expands when seated in the orifice, so that it closely engages the wall of the latter with sufficient firmness to be re tained properly in place.

The active face of the head of the selecting andcushioning element projects slightly beyond the surface of the thimble, so that in use it engages the several notes to be counted without contact therewith of the thimble proper. The thimble is preferably made of a comparatively-rigid material-such as aluininium,ce1luloid, or other suitable material and the selecting and cushioning element is preferably of soft rubber, which has the attribute of a sufficient adhesiveness to properly engage and withdraw the edge or corner of a single note from a pile of notes of money or the like and a resiliency sufficient to hold it in place in the thimble element of the device and afiord an easy rest or cushion for the ball of the finger, so that the latter is protected from irritating contact with the rigid material of which the thimble is composed, and when the thimble element of the device is constructed in the preferred form described the frictional contact of the ball of the finger with the cushioning device assists the yielding or resilient fingers 2 in maintaining the device in proper engagement and securely upon the finger.

In practice my improved implement has been found of great advantage in obviating the objections heretofore incident to the counting of large sums of money, the active face of the head of the selecting element picking up with accuracy and certainty one note at a time from a pile of notes to be counted, and the cushion element has been found comfortable and an assistance in the preferred form of construction in holding the implement upon the finger.

By my invention I provide an implement of novel construction which enables the accurate and certain selection of one note from a pile of notes in counting money and which is comfortable upon the finger of the user and affords a proper ventilation and cushion for the hygienic reasons hereinbefore stated.

While I have described my invention particularly for counting money, it is obvious that it may be utilized to facilitate the counting of other sheets.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A device to facilitate counting money and the like, consisting of a thimble adapted to fit upon the finger and provided with an orifice, and a selecting and cushioning element having its body disposed against the interior surface of the thimble, a neck passing through and engaging the walls of the orifice therein and a selecting-head exposed in saidorifice, substantially as described.

2. A device to facilitate counting money and the like, consisting of a thimble adapted to fit the finger and provided with an orifice opening laterally of the thimble, and a noteselecting element exposed in said orifice, substantially as described.

3. In a device to facilitate counting money and the like, the combination with a semithimble provided with an. orifice and with yielding retaining means, of a frictional noteselecting element exposed in said orifice, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RINALDO W. HAWLEY. Witnesses:

J OHN F. PICKARD, E. L. DU FREE. 

